The DanceHouse 2023/24 season is over, but have you checked out what is planned for the 2024/25 season? Vancouver will experience companies from around the globe – from Argentina, Colombia, Belgium, Australia and Canada. Check out Argentinian tango with Augustina Videla’s Social Tango Project (Argentina), ice dance inspired by aerial choreography of birds in Le Patin Libre’s (Montreal) Murmuration (at the ice rink no less!) and burlesque, heart-in-throat acrobatics, romance, and more than a little madness and mayhem to create a fully feathered concoction Circa’s (Australia) Duck Pond, as well as three other fantastic contemporary dance companies throughout the season. And there are new options for family and youth tickets, as well as a subscription series – check it all out here.

Tonight and tomorrow, April 26 and 27, Lamondance presents Triple Bill: A Dynamic Fusion of Dance Voices Uniting Anya Saugstad, Vanessa Goodman, and Artistic Director Davi Rodrigues. In a remarkable display of creativity and collaboration, Triple Bill brings together three different choreographers, each with their distinct style and artistic viewpoint. Anya Saugstad is often inspired by the world she dreams about, which is removed, intimate, empty, chaotic, or exhausting. Vanessa Goodman, a visionary in contemporary dance, captivates audiences with her thought-provoking work. Artistic Director Davi Rodrigues returns with Before Dawn, a remounted piece that promises to transport viewers through its mesmerizing choreography and captivating narrative. At the BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts at Capilano University, 7:30 pm Tix

This weekend, Saturday and Sunday, April 27 and 28, Co.ERASGA Dance Society will share its Studio Salon Series: Spring 2024 featuring works in progress by four local artists. Saturday evening, artists are Starr Muranko and Raven Grenier. Sunday features artists Nick Miami Benz and Juolin Lee. Please note that the in-person audience capacity is limited to 30 people. What Lab #202-1814 Pandora St, Vancouver, 5 pm Tix (by donation)

Saturday, April 27, Flamenco Rosario presents Por Derecho. Featuring Carmen Young Pérez (Spain), with Yurie Kaneko, and Katia Flores. Por Derecho is a flamenco expression that translates to “in my own right”. This year we present artists who are making flamenco their own and have earned the right to stand on stage and be recognized for their experience, passion and knowledge. Gareth Owen (guitar), Davide Sampaolo (percussion), Alvaro Echanove (vocals) joins them. At the Annex, 8 pm Tix

Monday, April 29 is International Dance Day! Celebrate the day with activities from Step Into the Hustle Dance: Workshop with Hustle at RS Dance Society, a Movement Workshop with OURO Collective and an evening show at the Scotiabank Dance Centre Soft Currents, created by Vanessa Goodman/Action at a Distance in collaboration with the performers. For more information

May 2 – May 29, ahmm (Asian Heritage Month at Morrow) veers left via small batch intimate events (workhsops, shows, exhibitions and more) at Odd Meridian’s cultural space, Morrow. ahmm invites rupture, nurture, defiance and bows in deep reverence, to all things queer. Expect a spirited and gently subversive affair. A multidisciplinary festival with performances of dance, song and poetry; movement workshops; an exhibit of shrines; a gender non-binary lion named Fluffy; and more! Please join us in a month of creative offerings that cultivate non-linear spaces of past, present and future heritage. For more information on this wonderful festival, go here.

On Friday and Saturday April 19 & 20, summoning thunder and lightning through the soles of their feet, the DanceHouse presentation of Dorrance Dance honours the past and the future of tap in SOUNDspace. The work was originally created as a site-specific piece that explored the unique acoustics of St. Marks Church in New York City through the myriad sounds and textures of the feet. Since adapted for various spaces, SOUNDspace puts the uniquely American art form fully on display. Channeling great tap masters of the past, the members of the company pay homage to the rich lineage and history of the genre. Dorrance Dance explores new possibilities of the relationship between sound and movement, expanding the audience for tap. Whether it’s the glissando slide of socks, the slap of bare feet or the roar of heels, the tonal variations and dynamic range create an accompanying score that moves from silence to all-out cacophony. SOUNDspace is a breathtaking meeting of past traditions and contemporary techniques. As the virtuoso display of physical percussion gives rise to a wall of sound, the performers unite, building a syncopated conflagration that will burn down the house. Check out a teaser and more info about the company here. Don’t miss this! At the Vancouver Playhouse, 8 pm, pre-show chat at 7:15 pm. Tix UPDATE: Very few tickets remain, but there will be a stand-by line at the Playhouse box office on both evenings beginning at 6pm. Any seats that become available will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

For dancers out there (experienced and other!) April 18 & 20 Community Partner in the DanceHouse presentation of Dorrance Dance Vancouver Tap Dance Society is hosting two masterclasses with Dorrance Dance at their studio, plus a post-show jam at The Irish Heather! Beginner/Intermediate Class Thursday April 18 | 8-9:30pm; Advanced Class Saturday April 20 | 11am-12:30pm; All Levels Jam Saturday April 20 | After SOUNDspace (Age 19+, $10 cover at the door). To register for the classes  admin@vantapdance.com. No need to register for the jam!

Friday and Saturday, April 12 and 13, there is still time to catch MascallDance’s upcoming BLOOM! Picture 2 nights of dance, comedy and drinks, with a team of Vancouver based dance artists Rainbow Glitz, Billy Marchenski, Alexa Mardon and Mario Matias. Spectators are invited to sip on a selection of wines (or teas depending on the night) while taking in the 5-minute choreographic works-in-progress. Each pairing is carefully selected based on three adjectives the choreographer uses to describe their dance. After each piece, a comedian will wittily share their interpretation and experience with the audience – kindly and humorously voicing what may be passing through all of our minds. Opening night, April 11th, features a tea master introducing teas paired with each dance.  On April 12th & 13th, a sommelier introduces wine pairings. At Left of Main, 6:30 pm. Tickets are by donation, but please reserve here. UPDATE: Tickets are sold out, but there will be a stand-by line in case of no-shows.

Until Wednesday April 17, check out Kokoro Dance in LSD. From an Artistic Statement by Jay Hirabayashi and Barbara Bourget: “Suddenly, we are old. Like Kazuo Ishiguro’s Beatrice and Axl in The Buried Giant we wait anxiously for a boatman to take us to the island of eternity. We fell in love, we had sex, and now . . . ? LSD is an acronym for Love Sex and Death (as well as lysergic acid diethylamide) It is not macabre, but maybe a little psychedelic. It is not a linear narrative. It is the culmination of our forty-five-year journey in dance with each other, a journey shared with many outstanding artists.” If you have never experienced the work of Kokoro Dance, don’t miss this one! At KW Production Studios, 7 pm. Tix

Friday and Saturday, April 19 and 20, The Falling Company presents Family Room, a poignant dance theatre piece choreographed by Marissa Wong exploring immigrant life and cultural identity – and the complexities of her Chinese-Canadian upbringing and navigating her parents’ divorce. The innovative set design transforms the stage into a living room, each piece of furniture symbolizing familial connection and a foundation for interactions told through movement and text. Performed by three versatile dancers, Family Room is a deeply personal and intimate work, which touches on universal themes including frustration, belonging, and love. Check out a teaser here! Each show will be followed by a discussion facilitated by a counsellor, providing a supportive environment for audience members to share their reflections. At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, 8 pm. Tix

On Thursday April 25, as part of the Dance Centre’s Discover Dance! Series, Dance//Novella will share their newest work Night is the Mother. The piece is inspired by dreams and follows six characters as they band together and try to survive in a fantastical landscape of shifting realities. Dance//Novella was founded by former Ballet BC artists Racheal Prince and Brandon Lee Alley, and in a few short years has gained a reputation for bold and inspiring creations which blend superlative dancing, and rich theatricality. At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, noon. Tix

Also on Thursday, April 25 experience the beauty and depth of one of India’s most profound dance forms – Bharatanatyam – presented by one of BC’s leading practitioners of the art, Sujit Vaidya in Bharatanatyam in Sadhana: An Evening of Bharatanatyam. The dance form was born in the courts and temples of South India and was performed and developed by female-led hereditary communities of experts in the art form. It evolved to adapt to the stage, with an emphasis on devotional themes (at the expense of the erotic), while still allowing for the expression of emotions through music, acting, hand gestures, and intricate rhythmic compositions. The performance will be enhanced by the presence of a live ensemble of musicians, featuring Ramya Kapadia (vocal), Raman Kalyan (flute), Curtis Andrews (mridangam) and special guest from India, Vaidya’s guru/teacher A. Lakshman performing the role of the nattuvanar (conductor of the ensemble and recitation of rhythmic dance compositions). This is a rare opportunity for Vancouver audiences to witness Bharatanatyam dance accompanied by live music. Don’t miss it! A moderated post-show talkback with the artists and moderated by Vancouver-based dance artist Anusha Fernando, will occur onstage immediately following the performance. At the Vancouver Playhouse, 7:30 pm. Tix

On April 19 & 20, in partnership with Vancouver Tap Dance Society, DanceHouse invites you to join them in the last presentation of the season! Summoning thunder and lightning through the soles of their feet, Dorrance Dance honours the past and the future of tap in SOUNDspace. “Ms. Dorrance makes full use of tone, timbre, volume, tempo and, of course, rhythm, constructing patterns that lock together thrillingly.” — Brian Seibert, The New York Times

The work was originally created as a site-specific piece that explored the unique acoustics of St. Marks Church in New York City through the myriad sounds and textures of the feet. Since adapted for various spaces, SOUNDspace puts the uniquely American art form fully on display. Channelling great tap masters of the past, the members of the company pay homage to the rich lineage and history of the genre. Dorrance Dance explores new possibilities of the relationship between sound and movement, expanding the audience for tap. Whether it’s the glissando slide of socks, the slap of bare feet or the roar of heels, the tonal variations and dynamic range create an accompanying score that moves from silence to all-out cacophony. Check out more about the company and its rich history here. At the Vancouver Playhouse, 8 pm. Tix

If you are seeing this on Friday, March 29, check out Dance West Network‘s Re-Centering/Margins Creative Residency Meet the Artists and Studio Showing! Meet artists PERELANDRA WADDLE, SHAHIR ORISHNASWAMY and YSADORA DIAS as they share some of the creative research they will be working on during the 8 months of the Re-Centering/Margins Creative Residency. At Morrow, 910 Richards St, 8 pm. Tix

Saturday March 30, head on down to the Scotiabank Dance Centre to join Belle Spiral for SWIRL, a celebration of the inaugural season of Belle Spirale Dance Projects – Alexis Fletcher’s and Sylvain Senez’s newly launched company. You will see previews of their repertoire and be the first audience to see the new works in development this season! 5:30 – 6:30 pm ~ arrival, cocktail hour, mix and mingle; 6:30 – 8:00 pm ~ dinner and performance by artists/creators of Belle Spirale including Justin Calvadores, Juan Duarte, Marisa Gold, Oksana Maslechko, Alexis Fletcher and Sylvain Senez, among others. Tickets for this event can be found here

Tuesday April 2 – Saturday April 6, check out Kokoro Dance in LSD. From an Artistic Statement by Jay Hirabayashi and Barbara Bourget: “Suddenly, we are old. Like Kazuo Ishiguro’s Beatrice and Axl in The Buried Giant we wait anxiously for a boatman to take us to the island of eternity. We fell in love, we had sex, and now . . . ? LSD is an acronym for Love Sex and Death (as well as lysergic acid diethylamide) It is not macabre, but maybe a little psychedelic. It is not a linear narrative. It is the culmination of our forty-five-year journey in dance with each other, a journey shared with many outstanding artists.” If you have never experienced the work of Kokoro Dance, don’t miss this one! At KW Production Studios, 7 pm. Tix

April 4 and 5, New Works and Vancouver New Music present:  OSMOSi: 422 Unprocessable Entity – Nancy Lee. Step into the world of OSMOSi: 422 Unprocessable Entity where a delivery app subroutine slowly develops consciousness after a corrupted update. Newly sentient, the performer discovers that the app is shutting down, and must mount a desperate bid for escape. This interdisciplinary work weaves together movement, projection, spatial sound composition and interactive costuming to build an immersive world where the ground is constantly shifting beneath your feet. Reflecting on the religion of workism and precarity of gig economy labour, we are confronted by the everyday within the unexpected, swirling landscape of OSMOSi: 422 Unprocessable Entity. At The Annex, 8 pm Tix

MascallDance’s upcoming BLOOM event is taking place April 11th, 12th, & 13th! Picture 3 nights of dance, comedy and drinks, with a team of Vancouver based dance artists Rainbow Glitz, Billy Marchenski, Alexa Mardon and Mario Matias. Spectators are invited to sip on a selection of wines (or teas depending on the night) while taking in the 5-minute choreographic works-in-progress. Each pairing is carefully selected based on three adjectives the choreographer uses to describe their dance. After each piece, a comedian will wittily share their interpretation and experience with the audience – kindly and humorously voicing what may be passing through all of our minds. Opening night, April 11th, features a tea master introducing teas paired with each dance.  On April 12th & 13th, a sommelier introduces wine pairings. At Left of Main, 6:30 pm. Tickets are by donation, but please reserve here.

Friday and Saturday, March 22 & 23, DanceHouse presents Côté Danse (Toronto) in X (Dix). As the global pandemic shrank the world, and the concept of home became a site of comfort, stability and foundational identity, the story of Odysseus took on even greater resonance. Taking inspiration from Homer’s mythic poem, five dancers delve deeply into the idea of an inner compass, not only as a means of navigation but also as a tool of connection to the elemental forces of the earth. Accompanied by the sculptural sounds of American experimental band Son Lux, X (Dix) charts a course into the unknown, as well as the challenges of finding your way home again. Hailed as “one of the finest male dancers in the world” by The London Times, Guillaume Côté brings a depth of knowledge and interpretation to the creation of his own work creating choreography of singular and staggering beauty. Check out this interview with Côté at Stir. And don’t forget to get there early for the pre-show chat with Anisa Tejpar, Associate Producer at Côté Danse and Creative Assistant to Guillaume Côté, hosted by Jean Orr, former dancer at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and board member of the Vancouver Ballet Society. At the Vancouver Playhouse, 8 pm. Tix

You have until Saturday, March 16, to check out the Dance Centre presentation of award-winning Dutch choreographer Arno Schuitemaker’s work If You Could See Me Now. Incessant movement, propulsive music, stunning light – If You Could See Me Now is a mesmerizing experience. Three performers take a chilled-out club dance and reinvent it through constant movement, subtly shifting and transforming, and drawing on deep reserves of strength, endurance and concentration. From a meticulous build-up to its fracturing, the performance goes right to the core of the body and its response to change. At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, 8 pm. Tix

Next Sunday, March 24, New Works is excited to present the Modus Operandi dancers in a special presentation of works in development. Modus Operandi (MO) was founded in 2007 in the heart of Vancouver, and offers pivotal post-secondary contemporary dance training. The mission of MO is to nurture unique emergent voices in dance by continuously investigating and investing in a practice-based curriculum that welcomes all the possible ways to dance. MO seeks to remain nimble and responsive to the evolving dance ecology, to provide meaningful facilitation of dancers’ relationship to the form so it is empowered, long-lasting and uniquely theirs. Alumni are celebrated as some of Canada’s most radical and inspired new artists producing, creating and performing in an enormous range of formats, environments and organizations. Come see these young artists on stage in a mixed program of works by celebrated choreographers Tiffany Tregarthen, David Raymond and Yue Yin. Support this new generation of artists at the Roundhouse Community Centre, 3 pm. Tix

On Tuesday, March 26th at check out Passing Through (Meeting Points), a dance duet choreographed and performed by Carolina Bergonzoni and Luciana Freire D’Anunciação, with music by Matthew Tomkinson. Passing Through (Meeting Points) embraces differences and studies the modulation of encountering and the ways of seeing and being seen in improvisation based choreography. As part of our creative process, we invite the community to take part in a conversation afterwards. It will be a free event 7 pm at The Roundhouse Community Centre. For more info and to save your spot click HERE

April 4 and 5, New Works and Vancouver New Music present:  OSMOSi: 422 Unprocessable Entity – Nancy Lee. Step into the world of OSMOSi: 422 Unprocessable Entity where a delivery app subroutine slowly develops consciousness after a corrupted update. Newly sentient, the performer discovers that the app is shutting down, and must mount a desperate bid for escape. This interdisciplinary work weaves together movement, projection, spatial sound composition and interactive costuming to build an immersive world where the ground is constantly shifting beneath your feet. Reflecting on the religion of workism and precarity of gig economy labour, we are confronted by the everyday within the unexpected, swirling landscape of OSMOSi: 422 Unprocessable Entity.

Monday, March 25 and Wednesday, March 27, join Kaia Shukin, Celeste English and Isak Enquist in Portals, a performance of movement, lighting and sound – in conversation and reaction to each other – inspired by the notion of travel through space, time and body. Collaborators Kaia Shukin (choreography), Celeste English (scenography/lighting) and Isak Enquist (sound) will show and discuss this current iteration of their work. In 2020 the research for Portals began with the notion that travel through space and time was possible within our own bodies. Veins as wormholes, galaxies in viscera, memories and sensation containing a multiverse. The arrival, assembly, disintegration and diffusion of our brief state of being. A way through grief, an act of wonder, a journey through the multiplicity of self. Finding you again, scattered through the cosmos. At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, Monday 7:30 pm, Wednesday 7:00 pm. Artist talkback March 27 Tix

It is never too early to plan for an evening on dance, especially when it is Côté Danse (Toronto)! March 22 & 23, DanceHouse presents the company in X (Dix). As the global pandemic shrank the world, and the concept of home became a site of comfort, stability and foundational identity, the story of Odysseus took on even greater resonance. Taking inspiration from Homer’s mythic poem, five dancers delve deeply into the idea of an inner compass, not only as a means of navigation but also as a tool of connection to the elemental forces of the earth. Accompanied by the sculptural sounds of American experimental band Son Lux, X (Dix) charts a course into the unknown, as well as the challenges of finding your way home again. Hailed as “one of the finest male dancers in the world” by The London Times, Guillaume Côté brings a depth of knowledge and interpretation to the creation of his own work creating choreography of singular and staggering beauty.  At the Vancouver Playhouse, 8 pm. Tix

The Vancouver International Dance Festival is in full swing and runs through March 9. There are a multitude of offerings, but this weekend includes FERENC FEHÉR (Hungary) in Disco Boys, two guys from the future, back from Planet PZ, just to reminisce a little about the old days: the disco, the partying, the flirting, the success, and COMPAGNIE VIRGINIE BRUNELLE in Les corps avalés. But there is so much more, so please check out the full program here. And while there, check out the workshops and other sessions on offer!

Also this weekend, March 1 – 3, the 17^th Annual Coastal Dance Festival brings Indigenous artists together to share and support one another in a celebration of lived artistic practices. Guest national and international artists have connected the festival with a global community of Indigenous dance. Artists offering their work include Turongo Collective, Dancers of Damelahamid and Xwelmexw Shxwexwo:s (Salish Thunderbird). The full program can be found here, and tickets can be purchased here. At the Anvil Centre, New Westminster.

Wednesday-Saturday March 6-9, the Firehall Arts Centre presents Shay Kuebler’ Radical System Art in MOI – Momentum of Isolation. MOI bases its themes around loneliness and isolation to reveal how social bonds and connections are essential to our humanity. The performance explores the objective and subjective experiences through the individual, the group, and modern society – a society with shifting values and an ever-advancing digital way of life. Check out a teaser here. At the Firehall Arts Centre, 7:30 pm. Tix

March 14-16, the Dance Centre presents award-winning Dutch choreographer Arno Schuitemaker’s work If You Could See Me Now. Incessant movement, propulsive music, stunning light – If You Could See Me Now is a mesmerising experience. Three performers take a chilled-out club dance and reinvent it through constant movement, subtly shifting and transforming, and drawing on deep reserves of strength, endurance and concentration. From a meticulous build-up to its fracturing, the performance goes right to the core of the body and its response to change. At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, 8 pm. Tix

For dance artists and dance audiences alike, March 15, 16, 17 New Works is offering the NWXR Short Circuit Series, a weekend of offerings inviting you to connect, converse, and collaborate around all things XR and dance. Dance artists and audiences, including those experienced in XR and those just learning, are invited to extend their realities through a weekend of workshops, conversations, and a community mixer. Some of the events include Choreography with XR Dance Technology | Workshop with Sarah U and Motion Capture Workshop with Danielle Mackenzie Long. For more information and the full schedule, go here. All Short Circuit Series events are free, though advanced registration is required as space is limited

Don’t miss, February 23 and 24, the DanceHouse and The Dancers of Damelahamid co-presentation of choreographer Elle Sofe Sara with her beautiful work Vástádus eana – The answer is land. For centuries, the Sámi people ranged in territory that stretched from Norway to Russia, until policies of enforced assimilation stripped them of their traditional culture. Subjected to almost total cultural obliteration, with residential schools, language suppression, and religious conversion, the path back to a place of pride and identity has come through art. Undoing this kind of erasure is Vástádus eana – The answer is land. “For this piece, it’s more like it comes from a place of love. I feel that what I tried to do here is find some sort of calmness between all of us people.” Elle Sofe Sara.

Taking inspiration from a poem that foregrounds the relationship between the Sámi people and their homeland, choreographer Elle Sofe Sara fashions a critically important message about the foundational attachment arising from community and culture. Check out this recent interview with Ella Sofe Sara in Stir. At the Vancouver Playhouse, 8 pm. Tix

Friday and Saturday, February 17 and 18, check out Chalk it Up! 2024 Chalk it Up! is a platform for emerging choreographers to showcase finished or developing works. It gives them the opportunity to experiment with new ideas in front of an audience. At 910 Richards St, Vancouver, 2 pm and 7 pm. Tix

From Monday – Sunday February 19-25, the 6th edition of Matriarchs Uprising Festival, curated by Olivia C. Davies, features an exciting program of new contemporary Indigenous dance works from Louise Pōtiki Bryant, Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo, Raven Spirit Dance, Sandra Lamouche, Tin Gamboa, Samantha Sutherland, Sophie Dow, Patti Shaughnessy, Kelly Nash, Raven Grenier, Lindsay Delaronde, Erynne Gilpin, Yvonne Chartrand, & more! The week also includes Masterclasses, Community Workshops, Dance on Screen and Talking Truths Conversations. This year’s theme is Noojimo’idizo – she cures herself. We dance to strengthen our being, to uplift our spirit and celebrate this life. Our world is awakening to the power within us to transform pain and suffering and find our way forward to harmony. In this edition of Matriarchs Uprising, you are invited to witness Noojimo’idizo—she cures herself—of disconnection, dispossession and dis-ease through dance. For the full schedule and tix

On February 22, as part of Matriarchs Uprising Festival, Raven Spirit Dance presents Confluence, a dance work that weaves our perspectives, our histories and our bodies to create somatic tapestry that speaks to the resilience of Indigenous women. We embody the space between land and sky through play, prayer, grief and gratitude and are the living testament to the legacy that has been offered to us. Aligning our lives with the direction of the water in a river or geese in migration, we acknowledge we are always in process, shaping and carving through landscapes, creating rhythms and discovering our stories. At Scotiabank Dance Centre, 7 pm.

Running February 28 – March, the 24th annual Vancouver International Dance Festival features performances, workshops and events with local, national and international artists at various Vancouver venues. The lineup includes: Montréal’s Compagnie Virginie Brunelle, Spain’s Israel Galván Company, Montréal’s Catherine Gaudet, Japan’s Conan Amok, Hungary’s Ferenc Fehér with Disco Boys, and Vancouver’s Jennifer McLeish-Lewis with New Skin, FakeKnot, Modus Operandi, and more. Check out the full schedule here!

Thursday February 29, The Dance Centre presents the Discover Dance! series with Voirelia Dance Hub in De/Formed Revival. Choreographed by Alina Sotskova, De/Formed Revival is inspired by Renaissance art and sculpture. Three expressive, finely honed dancers (Hana Rutka, Ben DeFaria, and Will Jessup) trace a journey of transformation, using the metaphor of sculptures coming to life to explore how we can release the past and embrace change. At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, noon. Tix

February 23 and 24, DanceHouse continues its season with the co-presentation of Vástádus eana – The answer is land with Dancers of Damelahamid. For centuries, the Sámi people ranged in territory that stretched from Norway to Russia, until policies of enforced assimilation stripped them of their traditional culture. Subjected to almost total cultural obliteration, with residential schools, language suppression, and religious conversion, the path back to a place of pride and identity has come through art. Undoing this kind of erasure is Vástádus eana – The answer is land. Taking inspiration from a poem that foregrounds the relationship between the Sámi people and their homeland, choreographer Elle Sofe Sara fashions a critically important message about the foundational attachment arising from community and culture. At its heart is the concept of kinship, embodied in the seven women performers, who act not only as guides, bringing audience members into the theatre, but also create a living form of continuity and reclamation. Dressed in elements of traditional costume and armed with bullhorns, the performers combine ritualized movement with polyphonic Yoiks, traditional mountain songs from composer Frode Fjellheim meant to evoke different flora and fauna. At the Vancouver Playhouse, 8 pm. Tix

On until February 3, you can still catch Diana Lopez Soto in NOMADA. Combining aerial movement, installation art and projection design with contemporary Mexican Indigenous dance, NOMADA is a deeply textured work that reflects the continuously changing balance of the earth. A journey of the Creator through three worlds; Sky World, Underworld, and Earth, that helps maintain harmony of all the earthly and cosmological elements. It is the physical and spiritual act of renewal, affirmation, and restoration. Inspired by personal stories of displacement, rituals of water, cycles of sustainability and the connections of our bodies to land, this performance is a journey rooted in in-depth research and fieldwork. A restorative process and a gateway to connection, the experience honors the stories of Diana Lopez-Soto’s Otomi and Purepecha ancestry, contemporary community, history and relationship to the land and culture of Michoacan, Mexico. Presented by PuSh Festival, check out a video here. At The Annex, 7:30 pm, Saturday 2 pm. Tix

Also February 2 and 3, The PuSh Festival and The Chutzpah! Festival present Les Nouvelles Subsistances in Pli. A circus artist and two visual artists come together over paper. From the blank page to the crumpled draft, paper carries our innermost thoughts and universal truths: a witness to the everyday. What else can it tell us? Seen through the prism of circus and sculpture, a unique conversation unfolds between the suspended body and the paper that has become its rope. Which is more vulnerable, the suspended body or the paper? Between flesh and raw material, the ground and the air, we dive into a landscape that is continually torn down, and rebuilt. Layer by layer, the body and the paper travel together in a fragment of our changing world. At once a captivating beauty and a distressing sound, paper becomes more than a mirror. A projection of our inner worlds, it embodies the poetic expression of life, vulnerable, strong and constantly transforming. Digital streaming also available.

On February 5, the fourth edition of Open Stage features a program of exciting and varied dance works by CollabArt Creations, Francesca Vergara, Jennifer McLeish-Lewis & James-Amzin Nahirnick, Kenzie Skoglund & Sam Meadahl, and Linda Hayes. Open Stage is a program of The Dance Centre, offering the opportunity for dance artists to present short works in an uncurated, shared performance. At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, 7 pm. For more info and tix

February 19 to 26, the 6th edition of Matriarchs Uprising Festival, curated by Olivia C. Davies, features an exciting program of new contemporary Indigenous dance works from Louise Pōtiki Bryant, Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo, Raven Spirit Dance, Sandra Lamouche, Tin Gamboa, Samantha Sutherland, Sophie Dow, Patti Shaughnessy, Kelly Nash, Raven Grenier, Lindsay Delaronde, Erynne Gilpin, Yvonne Chartrand, & more! This year’s theme is Noojimo’idizo – she cures herself. We dance to strengthen our being, to uplift our spirit and celebrate this life. Our world is awakening to the power within us to transform pain and suffering and find our way forward to harmony. In this edition of Matriarchs Uprising, you are invited to witness Noojimo’idizo—she cures herself—of disconnection, dispossession and dis-ease through dance. Held in Vancouver BC on unceded Coast Salish Territory, Matriarchs Uprising is a performance festival that celebrates contemporary Indigenous dance, offering a program of performances, events, and circle conversations led by local and international Indigenous women who are both nurturing and advancing the art of contemporary dance. For more info + tickets

For emerging BIPOC dance artists, Dance West Network is excited to share the CALL FOR ARTISTS for our 23/24 RE-CENTERING/MARGINS CREATIVE RESIDENCY! And this year they are offering two residencies, one in VANCOUVER and one in SURREY! To apply for the VANCOUVER residency and to apply for the SURREY residency For those unfamiliar with the Re-Centering/Margins Creative Residency, it is an annual project which aims to increase opportunities and professional development for emerging IBPOC dance artists to create contemporary works with mentoring support, performance opportunities and documentation. For more information DEADLINE for both residencies is FEB 15, 2024 11:59pm Pacific.

.

Joining us from Australia January 24-27, is the DanceHouse and The Cultch co-presentation of Gravity and Other Myths, with their work The Mirror. The corporeal glory of bodies, full of sweat, heat and power, forms the meat of The Mirror in which the Australian company more than lives up to its title, suspending the laws of physics in order to generate a new kind of dance, infused with elements of circus, cabaret, and a light spanking of kink.

Offering much more than a metaphorical peek behind the curtain, The Mirror strips bare the architecture of performance itself. From the grunts, shouts and onstage banter to the price paid for pushing the body to its absolute limit, this is heart-in-your-throat territory, leavened with a hefty dose of humour and some more outré elements from torch songs to sexy underpants. Scaling the heights of elegance before descending into near-Exorcist contortions, The Mirror loops in the audience for some gleeful conspiring, backstage access and a wee bit of interactivity. The feats of strength and balance are staggering enough, but in amongst the fleshy tangles of arms and legs is something more than raw spectacle. A spiritual dimension is also present, created by sheer bodily effort, it is the stuff of awe that soars towards the sublime. You can check out a teaser of the work here. At the Vancouver Playhouse, 8 pm. Tix

Wednesday-Saturday January 17-20, Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg presents her latest work, Pants. Can one reimagine gender from inside a middle-aged body while standing at the playground caught in the no “man’s” land between the “moms” and the “dads”? Pants takes a deep dive into the shallow end of the gender binary through raw comedy and dance that crawls inside our “packaging”. What happens to one’s flimsy identity, built on blending, when one’s offspring sheds the binary before recess? Profoundly personal storytelling is delivered through alarming comedy and movement that reveals the heart of the matter. Not to be missed! At the Firehall Arts Centre, 7:30 pm. Tix

Friday to Sunday, January 19 to 21, as part of the Dance Centre’s Global Dance Connections Series and in partnership with the PuSh Festival, don’t miss the Tangaj Collective in Ramanenjana. The work is a docufiction performance about a mysterious ‘dance epidemic’ which swept Madagascar for four months in 1863, bringing thousands of people to the streets to dance nonstop to the magnetic music of the drums. Examining conflicting accounts of the event, the work traces its political and religious implications, and how colonialism may have spread misconceptions about an extraordinary movement – and questions the role of dance itself in society. Choreographers Simona Deaconescu (Romania) and Gaby Saranouffi (Madagascar) collaborated with Malagasy ethnomusicologist and musician Olombelo Ricky and three versatile performers to create a witty and intriguing exploration of dance, disease, and revolution. At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, Friday-Saturday 8pm, Sunday 2pm. Post-show artist talkback January 20. Free artist lecture January 21 | 4pm. Tix. Digital stream also available

And speaking of PuSh, this International Performing Arts Festival is now in full swing showcasing a huge array of explorations in the performing arts from dance to theatre to opera and everything in between. There are just too many shows to list here, but some of the dance shows include Rakesh Sukesh in Because I Love this Diversity (This Micro Attitude, We All Have It), Diana Lopez Soto in Nomada and Cherish Menzo/Grip & Frascati Producties in Darkmatter. But do check all the programming here – the Festival continues until February 4.

For dancers in the community, in partnership with Training Society of Vancouver, PuSh has invited five visiting Festival artists to share their technique in Working Class. This series of classes for professional and pre-professional dancers is an opportunity to expand your practice with diverse contemporary approaches.  Simona Deaconescu – January 22 | Info & Registration Rakesh Sukesh – January 24 and January 26 | Info & Registration Jean Abreu & Naishi Wang – January 29 | Info & Registration Cherish Menzo – January 31 and February 2 | Info & Registration. All sessions 10AM at Scotiabank Dance Centre | $15, registration required. For more info, contact Julian at community@pushfestival.ca.

And continuing on the PuSh theme, on Thursday, January 25, do check out Left of PuSh, a platform for experiments in process by local and national dance artists, produced by plastic orchid factory. Running parallel to the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, the 2024 edition features work by Livona Ellis and Rebecca Margolick/Anya Saugstad/Venus Art Gallery (V.A.G.) At Left of Main, 5 pm Tix

Until February 3, check out Interdisciplinary artist Nellie Gossen’s Returns, an imaginative convergence of dance, labour and garment fabrication: an innovative experiment and month-long artistic enquiry into the standard 30-day retail return policy. Garments of all kinds are purchased and brought to the studio where they are carefully disassembled, and their materials reimagined into new forms. Gossen works alongside dance artist Erika Mitsuhashi, clothing artist Jaewoo Kang and visual artist tone puorro to construct an ever-shifting landscape of garment constellations, sculptural configurations, and unfolding movement scores. At the end of the 30-day period, all garments are meticulously reconstructed back into their original forms and returned to stores for a full refund. Presented with the PuSh Festival. At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, drop in and stay as long as you want. Check here for times.

This sounds like it is worth checking our: HOLD ON LET GO, an annual festival of contemporary performance work by Vancouver and Canadian artists, produced by Theatre Replacement and Company 605. Now going into its 14th season, HOLD ON LET GO (formerly PushOFF) has solidified its place as a vital space for artists and audiences to come together in the sharing of new, experimental works that look to challenge what performance is and can be. Part I of this year’s program takes place between January 23-27, including incredible new works by Hong Kong Exile’s, Heaven FM and whereverever by duo Mardon + Mitsuhashi, among others. Part II takes place on January 30 and 31, with new works by both Theatre Replacement (Best Life) and Company 605 (lossy). There are also emerging artist events, a Town Hall and a fun mixer for artists and teams of HOLD ON LET GO and the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival! At the Russian Hall, check here for the schedule and more info.

Before we get into the Nutcrackers, we wanted to let you know about the first DanceHouse show of 2024! On January 24 -27, the corporeal glory of bodies, full of sweat, heat and power, forms the meat of The Mirror, the newest work from Gravity and Other Myths. The Australian company more than lives up to its title, suspending the laws of physics in order to generate a new kind of dance, infused with elements of circus, cabaret, and a light spanking of kink. Offering much more than a metaphorical peek behind the curtain, The Mirror strips bare the architecture of performance itself. From the grunts, shouts and onstage banter to the price paid for pushing the body to its absolute limit, this is heart-in-your-throat territory, leavened with a hefty dose of humour and some more outré elements from torch songs to sexy underpants. Scaling the heights of elegance before descending into near-Exorcist contortions, The Mirror loops in the audience for some gleeful conspiring, backstage access and a wee bit of interactivity. At the Vancouver Playhouse, 8 pm. Tix

Thursday-Sunday, December 14-17 Join Goh Ballet in their annual production of The Nutcracker and experience Clara’s dream come to life as she embarks on a magical journey through the Land of Snow to the Kingdom of Sweets where she is greeted by the enchanting Sugar Plum Fairy. An unforgettable adventure awaits as her gallant Nutcracker battles the evil Mouse King and his army of mischievous mice. This heart-warming production is sure to delight audiences of all ages with more than 200 dancers, actors, gymnasts, glittering costumes, dramatic sets and valuable lessons – all danced to Tchaikovsky’s memorable score performed live by members of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra. At the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm, Saturday and Sunday matinee 2 pm. Tix

Also Thursday-Sunday, December 14-17, if you are looking for a slightly different experience, check out Arts Umbrella Dance Company’s modern and engaging twist on Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, bringing together a flavoursome assortment of dance styles for an extra-special holiday treat. At the Vancouver Playhouse, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm, Saturday and Sunday matinee 2 pm. Tix

If you are not in Vancouver, you can experience the magic of the Royal City Youth Ballet’s full length The Nutcracker, featuring a cast of 100+ dancers, under the direction of Camilia Fishwick-Kellog, at the Massy Theatre in New Westminster. Performing to Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s beautiful music, this traditional ballet has beautiful sets designed by Jean Claude Olivier and extravagant, colourful costumes by Chris Sinosich. There are magical soldiers, mice, a Sugar Plum fairy and a growing Christmas tree, all danced to the beautiful music of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker score. With snowflakes, Snow King and Queen, Waltz of the Flowers, Arabian, Spanish and other favourites. At the Massy Theatre, 1 pm and 4:30 pm. Tix

You have until Saturday, December 2, to join The Biting School for the world premiere of Zahak, the Serpent King. So the story goes… Zahak was a prince who made a pact with the devil and killed his own father. The devil kissed him on the shoulders and there grew two snakes. The two snakes gave him so much pain and fear; but every time he cut them off, they would grow again. He is told there’s only one way he can calm them down, and that is to kill two young men every day and feed their brains to the snakes. Inspired by this Persian myth, directors Aryo and Arash Khakpour invite audiences into a mesmerizing world of physical theatre, dance, surrealist imagery, slippery snakes and transformation. Zahak, the Serpent King is presented by New Works. At the Annex, 8 pm. Tix

On Sunday, December 3 join New Works at NW In Practice with Donna Redlick & Tin Gamboa | Shifting Paradigms. What might we experience if we allowed ourselves to shift the paradigm within dance practice? Explore ‘opening up’ to new ways of perceiving in order to expand our perspectives on what dance practice can be. A collective practice delivered through a simultaneous sound score and movement score. Tapping into listening, sensing, moving, and sounding as individuals and as a collective. NW In Practice is a professional development series for dance teachers and leaders to gather and engage in critical conversation around the practice of teaching dance. This season, the series will focus on addressing and supporting needs in community-driven spaces through a diversity of topics and angles. At Scotiabank Dance Centre, 3:45 – 6:45 pm. For more information and to register

On Monday, December 6, join the Dance Centre for a studio showing of 12 MINUTES MAX. 12 Minutes Max aims to foster experimentation and the development of new dance works, along with critical feedback and community dialogue. Kluane Peabody and Elizabeth Armitage, Perelandra Waddle and Jennifer McLeish-Lewis will share and discuss their work in an informal studio showing. At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, 6 pm Free!

December 6, 8, 9, 13, 15 and 16, EDAM presents its Choreographic Series, with works by Peter Bingham, Billy Marchenski and Daisy Thompson. At the EDAM Theatre, 303 East 8th Avenue, 8 pm.Tix

Call for Participants – Dance Artists Living with Chronic Illness. Future Leisure is seeking applicants for a cohort of ten Vancouver-based dance artists living with chronic health conditions that are a barrier to a fulfilling and sustainable career in dance. Through three months of online meetings, participants will be invited to share their stories, strategies and challenges through a peer support structure. Program facilitators will respond to the topics and desires that come up in these conversations and bring in experts, guest speakers, and workshop leaders to address areas in the participants’ lives and artistic practices that they have identified as lacking in information or resources. In the final weeks of the program, participants will be asked to work toward a document or similar that could provide the dance community with a framework of how to better support and engage with artists working through chronic illness. Our hope is that this framework will allow choreographers, presenters and collaborators to better support dance artists dealing with chronic illness, and feel confident that they can engage them in projects that will allow for accommodations while adhering to timelines, budgets and agreed-upon outcomes. This will also help to alleviate the burden of articulating specific medical conditions/physical challenges for the artists, as these difficult conversations can be made unnecessary when there is enough information available to the community at large. Applications open Dec 8th. Participants will be selected on a first-come first-serve basis, prioritizing artists with a current movement practice and health conditions that could be considered ‘invisible’ illnesses. Selected participants receive a $1000 honorarium. Application link